Saturday, January 19, 2008

Room Project Phase 3

I'm not sure how many phases this project is going to have, however, here is the current status....

We have completed 2 walls and have just a touch more to finish and touch ups. Candice was so wonderful to assume that we can paint within the lines, we did on three of the ovals and realized there had to be a better way. We drew the template on the wall, taped over them and then used a razor to cut out the inside following the lines on the wall to get the smooth edge. It's time consuming and difficult at first, then you get in the groove and it gets easier and more efficient.

Notice the tape everywhere, it's a life saver.

Here you can see the work in progress.

Handyman Owen, always helpful.

Here is some of the finished project.

Garett serving as a useful human measuring stick, he is 6'2" so maybe this helps give some idea of how high the border is and how big it is. Maybe.

Next we have to finish touch ups and move the furniture back in. I'm going to start working on bedding for the baby. Owen's is coming straight from Ikea, Baby girls is going to be a matching set from Ikea but I'm going to cut it up and make something to fit her size better. I'll post more pictures in a few weeks when I have a chance to decorate some.

Thrilled about a good deal!


So as you may know I love to shop for a bargain and with coupons as often as possible. Last night I got a really great deal that I'd love to share in case any of my local friends need it. We went to Target to look for a stroller I saw another woman with at BBRUS, she said she loved hers and it looked great. It is an Eddie Bauer Transit Tandem Stroller. (It seats two children) It is in one of the more difficult colors to find, which is only important because they are discontinuing the fabric not the stroller. I found it at Target on clearance for $64, usually priced at $129! The same stroller in the new colors are retailing at $168!!! There are some other colors that have not been discontinued yet that you can find in the $129 range. To add to my delight, it is light weight, umbrella style and still has cup holders. :) It folds down smaller than the beautiful beast I've been lugging around for the past 2 years! Not bad. Call or email me for more exact information if you want to try to track one down.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Baby Room Project Phase 1 and 2

Owen and the baby will be sharing a room in just a short time. So we decided to paint. Here are some pictures of our progress...

Furniture out, plastic down, primer up.

First coat of primer up. Thanks for the help Owen!

Sister Sinclair. (One of her last projects before going home.)

Sister Laekahe (sp?) thanks for the cheerful help.

Sister Cartwright perfecting her painting techniques. She also has a wonderful talent for keeping Owen out of trouble. :)

Garett working on the border.
It's way more labor intensive than we thought it would be.

Oval number one only 45 more to go.

I will post more pictures as the work continues. :)

Winter Fun

Last night we had a nice relaxing evening and the wonderful surprise of SNOW!

Owen reading the paper.

Wrestling with Dad.

The snow is here! But not for long.

Wow! Just a few hours later.


Sadly it was all gone by the morning. :(

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Get a Free iPhone Experiment

I think this is the first time I have ever wrote on our family blog, but I have information I think all of you can benefit from. I have received dozens, if not hundreds of emails claiming to give away a free prize and all you have to do is sign up with a sponsor in Level A, 2 sponsors in Level B, give your first born to fulfill Level C, etc... and then you will receive the "Free Prize". I admit, I've tried one or two of those types of offers before, and while I enjoyed the Online Blockbuster or Video Professor CDs, I got no free prize.
I am 95% sure I have accidentally stumbled across the real deal and I would love everyone's help in proving that hypotheses. I am opting for the iPhone. In order for me to fulfill the requirements, I need to sign up for 1 offer and refer 8 people to this deal to receive their own iPhone. Do not feel obligated to help if this is not for you, but you can at least follow my progress through the banner I have embedded at the top of our blog. I did that so you all can track my progress in receiving a free iPhone.
I wouldn't do this myself if I thought it was a fraud. I did my research and discovered the company behind these promotions. Company name is Transcendent Innovations and their official company website is www.trainn.org. Check the site out, do whatever research you need to. I found most of what I needed to know by searching the website name "yourfreeiphone".
If you would like to take part in my experiment, it is easy to do.
  1. Click on my referral link to sign up for your iPhone offer so that I can be credited for your sign up to fulfill my 8 referral requirement. Just click on the banner I put at the top or click Here to register.
  2. Sign up for 1 offer. They have BlockbusterOnline, Netflix, QuickBooks and others I would not try which some of you may find very useful. I signed up for Stamps.com which starts you with a 4 week free trial and requires you to keep your account open for a minimum of 21 days to receive credit for the offer. When I cancel in 21 days I will be charged nothing. But even if I am, it's a $15/month charge. I hear QuickBooks is even simplier to sign up for, but whatever you do make sure to read the details and know exactly what you are signing up for.
  3. Refer 8 of your friends to the referral link you will receive. When this works for me and I receive my iPhone, it should be real easy to contact the bloggers you know and show them proof this is for real.
  4. Check YourFreeiPhone.com account often to track your own status. When you get the number of referrals you need, the company verifies your fulfilled requirements. Once approved, you will get your iPhone in 2 weeks or less.
You will see when you go to the website that you don't have to get the iPhone, they have other options which even include sending the cash value of the product to your PayPal account. Just make sure I am getting credited for whatever option you choose.

Oh yeah! My wife just came in and told me to make sure I also give a family update so here it goes. We are all alive, I work...she works harder(with Owen)...I like my work...I don't know if she does...and we're all doing great. About as All-American as it gets. Then again, what is considered All-American? Good night everybody!

Monday, January 07, 2008

Bounce House Fun

Today we had fun with Heidi and the Girls. They spent the night last night so I could go to an early morning appointment ALONE. That's right, I had 2 hours to myself! Thank you Heidi. So afterwards we headed over to the Bounce House and had a blast climbing, jumping, sliding and all that good stuff. I did way too much and wore myself out, then again so did everyone else.

Here's Taylor after going down the slide head first on her back!

It's Mya with Aunty April

Heidi having fun!

Owen being incredibly brave and sliding down unassisted down a steep slide.

Woo Hoo!

Poor Owen, ready to call it a night.

Taylor was a great help with Owen and Mya, she lifted them and encouraged them to try new things. They all had a lot of fun and even made new friends.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

A Lovely Saturday

Today was such a lovely day. It was not too cold and we were up and out the door at a decent
time. (Always a tough feat with a two year old) We did some window shopping and headed home for nap time. Garett worked on the cars for a bit then we were out again. I got some wonderful deals at Wallyworld. A kids shirt for 1.50, slippers for Owen 3.00 and slippers for me 5.00. Garett's quick driving reflexes and keen eye for good food led us to the only Little Caesars I've seen in a long time. So we indulged in a yummy pizza, some crazy bread and sauce for dinner. We ate the crazy bread in the car. Owen was was going "mmmm" "mmmm" from the back seat most of the way home. I agree with Owen "mmm" "mmm".
Here are some pictures from today. I thought it was time to post a picture of pregnant me.

Me trying to get Owen ready to go. Just let go of the slinky already!

Tough guy.

Me and baby girl at 7 months.

Smile for Daddy

Our big cheezer. It's hard not to love a face like this. :)